A Fitting End To A Bad Day
by RecoveringTheSatellites
Summary: Reela fic. Post 'Out on a Limb'. Just when you thought that deadly disease had been contained...


Authors Note: I don't own ER, you know that, I know that, don't sue me.

Major spoilers for 'Out on a Limb'

Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Andraste

A Fitting End To A Bad Day

Ray stared bored at the television wondering why Neela wanted to watch other people win vast sums of money. Poker, unless it was his money riding on the game, didn't interest him in the slightest. He'd tried it once or twice, even gone to a tuition with a friend while touring with the band in LA. He hadn't managed to win the band enough money to keep the tour going and so the phase soon left him.

No, poker didn't interest him at all. What did interest him was the way Neela's head rested on his shoulder, the warmth of her body curled up next to him, the line of her neck and the way sleep had erased the furrowed brow and frustration of her usual waking expression. She was beautiful, and perhaps what he loved most was that she didn't realise it.

He resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her and pull her closer. He could if he wanted, and he did want, snuggle down into the couch and sleep there, with her in his arms. He smiled at himself, wondering when the last time was that he was content to just snuggle with a girl and realising he never had.

Struggling to put the thoughts from his mind he slipped out from under her and scooped her up in his arms, gently carrying her towards her bedroom. He almost laughed aloud at the state of her room. She complained constantly about the mess he made but her bedside table was covered in clutter and the bed covers were thrown back, untouched since she'd dragged herself from them that morning. He stepped over the clothes that had been abandoned on the floor and laid her down in her bed, slipping her boots off and pulling the covers up over her. He stared at her longingly for a moment as she rolled over, stretching her arm out, searching for a husband who wasn't there. Promising himself he wouldn't torture himself any further, he shook his head slipping out the room and closing the door gently behind him.

He went back to the sofa which he fell into heavily. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "What am I going to do?" He asked the players on the screen aloud, instantly feeling ridiculous for doing. His previous tactics, avoidance coupled with sleeping with as many women as possible had only made things worse. The hollowness of the relationships just reaffirmed the strength of the relationship he had with Neela, and now even they had begun to notice, the phone call he'd received earlier had proved that, "Hi Ray, listen, I'm having second thoughts about tonight. I don't care what you say, there's something going on between you and your roommate, and I just find it kinda weird okay? Anyway, I guess I'll see you around maybe." And for once he didn't deny it, just held the phone and listened to her speak.

He reached forward for another beer and as he did his sleeve slid up his arm and something caught his eye. He rolled his sleeve back further to uncover a deep angry purple bruise mottling his wrist, spreading up his arm.

"Oh shit!" he cursed, leaping to his feet, banging into the coffee table and sending it's contents flying. He vaulted over the back of the couch and ran to Neela's room. He swung the door back violently and rushed to her side, grabbing her wrist and pulling back her sleeve.

"Ray!" Neela woke with a start, "What the hell are you doing?"

Ray gave her a panicked look. Her eyes were drawn to the bruising on his forearm.

"Oh, God!" she said in horror as she leapt from the bed.

Ray nodded, "You need to check yourself over." He said struggling for something resembling calm.

"Er, yeah. Shit, where did I put the phone?" Neela searched frantically through the mess on her bedside table.

"It's okay, there's one in the other room. I'll get it." Ray ran back into the living room. "Check that you're okay." he ordered.

The phone had fallen on the floor when he'd hit the table, he bent to pick it up and when he stood straight his head spun and he had to clutch at the back of the couch to steady himself. Forcing back the dizziness, he dialled the number by heart, wishing he'd let Neela put their work number on the speed dial. It seemed to ring forever before Frank's voice materialised on the end of the line.

"ER?"

"Hey man, it's Ray."

"Aren't you supposed to be serenading your lady friend with rock ballads by now?"

"Listen, I've got meningococcemia. I must have caught it from those girls today." He lifted up his tee shirt to inspect his chest, it was dark and discoloured, the bruising spreading rapidly. Ray noticed Neela appearing from her bedroom and hastily pulled his shirt back down. He could hear Frank calling out across the ER "Kovac, Barnett's got that mening… whatever thingy!"

"Okay, Neela's going to bring me in." Ray said. Neela already had Rays' car keys in her hand. "I'll be there soon." He promised and hung up, sitting down heavily and unsteadily on the arm of the couch.

"Okay, come on." Neela said grasping his arm and pulling him back to his feet. "Let's get you down to the car."

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes boring into her as though he expected her to lie.

"I'm fine." she promised, "Now lets get going."

Ray stood determinedly but stumbled forward a few steps before allowing Neela to support any of his weight. They abandoned the apartment, television still playing as they struggled out into the hall and down to the elevator at the end. Neela punched the button over and over until it arrived. Ray watched her carefully, she normally avoided the lift, preferring the stairs to the enclosed space but tonight she didn't appear to give her claustrophobia a thought, pulling Ray inside and stabbing at the button to take them down to the lobby.

Ray leant back against the elevator wall, breathing heavily. "Jesus this came on fast." He held his hand to his head, pushing at his skull as though he could drive the dizziness and headache from his mind.

"I can't believe you forgot to take those pills. That is so like you Ray!" Neela snapped, staring angrily at him.

"Hey," Ray retaliated, finding the strength to sound indignant. "I did okay. I don't know why they didn't work."

"And you didn't feel this coming on?" She asked, not quite willing to let go of her anger yet.

"No, I had a slight headache, but I had a few beers and it seemed to go away. I thought it was just from having a crappy day." He reeled as the elevator jolted to a stop and Neela had to catching to prevent him from toppling over.

"Get out of the way." Neela shouted at an unsuspecting resident as they hurtled down the corridor and out through the lobby and into the street. They struggled down the steps towards Ray's car. Neela eased Ray against the side of it while she fumbled with the key.

"It's just as well I think you're cute when you're angry." Ray grinned, but their eyes met and both knew he wasn't joking.

"Get in." Neela yanked the door open and helped Ray inside. He rested his head back against the seat and managed to pull the seat belt across his body and click it into place. Neela rushed round to the driver's side and got in.

It was becoming increasingly harder to breathe and Ray concentrated on not letting it show as Neela started the car and pulled out into the street.

"There's no need to get angry." Ray said after she yelled at the driver in front who was moving at the speed limit.

"I know I'm sorry." Neela said calming, though her knuckles were still paling as she gripped the steering wheel. "It's just a stupid reaction. I'm just scared."

Ray nodded, "I know."

They continued the journey in silence. Ray pulled back his sleeve and stared at his forearm where the bruising was still spreading. He watched it in fascination, fancying he could see it spreading before his eyes. Maybe it was doing.

His breathing was becoming more difficult control and he could see the worried glances that Neela gave him as he was unable to prevent his breathing from sounding laboured. The noise of his breathing seemed to fill the entire car. He coughed and when he took his hand away from his mouth he saw it flecked with blood. He dropped it quickly wiping the evidence on his jeans so that Neela wouldn't notice.

"Ray are you okay?" she asked.

"Not feeling my best, but yeah I'm holding up." he lied and turned to gaze out of the window.

Abby and Luka were waiting in the ambulance bay with a gurney as Neela swerved into it and slammed on the breaks. They were at the car by the time Neela could leap out, Luka opening the car door and slipping off the seat belt.

"Do you live at the hospital?" Ray asked when his colleagues appeared by his side.

"When we're this short staffed? Yeah." Luka answered. "How are you doing Ray?"

"Honestly…" Ray started breathlessly but the sentence was interrupted by a fit of coughing. He allowed himself to be lifted out of the car and onto the gurney by Luka and Neela. Great, he said to himself, real manly huh.

"He's not good," Neela spoke for him, "His breathing's getting really laboured. He first noticed the effects about fifteen minutes ago, before that he just had a slight headache."

"Okay we need to contact anyone he may have had contact with. Did he say he was going on a date?" Luka asked.

"She cancelled." Neela said.

Fantastic, Ray thought, let everyone know what a let down my evening's been. He listened to them talk as they pushed the gurney inside. It felt odd to be the patient, looking up instead of down. He watched the ceiling as they talked over him, noticing for the first time what a bad state it was in. People appeared in his line of sight, peering over him, wondering how he was while not wanting to get too close.

"Why didn't he take the preventative medication?" Luka asked exasperated.

"Hey!" Ray managed, "Why does everyone assume I didn't?"

"Okay we need to come up with an alternative…"

Ray let their voices drift in and out as the three doctors wheeled him into the trauma room.

Luka ripped off Ray's shirt, inspecting the bruising as he placed the cold stethoscope to his chest. "His lungs are filling with blood."

Ray summoned an "Oh crap." just loud enough for the other doctors to hear.

"It's okay, Ray." Luka said and Ray realised why patients were so quick to trust the Croatian doctor. He looked like he believed it completely, but Ray knew he couldn't. "Neela IV." Luka ordered as he reached for the phone on the wall and dialled.

Ray watched Neela's hands shaking as she readied the needle for the IV. Come on Neela, he willed her with what he hoped was a comforting smile. The smile was soon displaced by a grimace as he was sent into a fit of coughing. He rolled onto his side instinctively and he and the other doctors watched in horror as think dark blood splattered across the floor.

Luka dropped the phone and rushed back over. "You're edema's too advanced to wait. I'm going to have to drain your chest okay?" He eased the younger doctor back onto his back and produced a scalpel.

Ray cursed silently, averting his gaze from Luka. He knew he'd seen Abby inject the morphine into his IV so why wasn't he feeling it's effects? He stared up at Neela who stood by his head, holding her gaze, feeling her grasp his hand and stroke back his hair. There were tears in her eyes, refusing to spill over. There was a pain in his side as Luka and Abby worked, but he refused to acknowledge them, loosing himself in Neela's frightened eyes until the drugs began to take effect and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Ray woke feeling groggy, a dulled pain in his chest but breathing easier. The room was bright, curtains pulled back to let in the early morning sunlight. He glanced to his side, sat in the chair beside him, completely against quarantine regulations and leant over with her head resting on his shoulder was Neela, fast asleep. He smiled and shifted down in his bed, there was no way he was moving her this time.


End file.
